Active Mobility Weekend to be celebrated March 23-25

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Events planned at Laurel Park and Payne Park, along with Tour de Parks on March 25, which will begin at the Venice Train Depot

Image courtesy Friends of the Legacy Trail

Active Mobility Weekend — three days of free events, beginning March 23 — will celebrate the community’s commitment to an active lifestyle, Sarasota County has announced.

The events have been organized as a result of the county’s partnering with public and private organizations, a news release explains.

On March 14, Megan Eidel, the county’s trails coordinator, issued a formal invitation to the public to join in the festivities. Her comments followed the reading of a county proclamation recognizing the 10th anniversary of the opening of The Legacy Trail, which occurred on March 28, 2008.

The Sarasota/Manatee Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO), the Friends of The Legacy Trail, Sarasota-Manatee Bicycle Club and The Trust for Public Land are joining Sarasota County in hosting Active Mobility Weekend, the release adds. The following events have been planned:

  • Friday, March 23: The Sarasota County Parks, Recreation and Natural Resources Department will mark The Legacy Trail’s anniversary with festivities at Laurel Park. Starting at 4 p.m., the celebration will feature a DJ, speakers, giveaways, cake, frozen custard and free bicycle inspections, the release notes. Laurel Park is located at 509 Collins Road in Nokomis.
  • Saturday, March 24: The MPO will host a free “Roll & Stroll” from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., with guided or self-directed walking and bicycling tours of four proposed locations of the future Florida Gulf Coast Trail, the release continues. The four options are the North Route (Main Street); Central Route (Ringling Boulevard); and South Route (Oak Street). Payne Park will be closed to the public except for a bicycle rodeo and helmet giveaway, the release adds. Food trucks will be on-site.
  • Sunday, March 25: The Trust for Public Land’s annual Tour de Parks, a bicycle ride that supports The Legacy Trail, will begin at the Venice Train Depot at 7:30 a.m. and feature three different routes and starting times. The $40 registration fee includes breakfast and lunch, the release points out.

For more information, call the county Contact Center at 861-5000 or visit scgov.net.